Bears have not won on the road this season and it looks to
continue that trend. The Broncos are gaining back their form
with Plummer under center and they have no margin for error.
The Bears are fighting a quarterback controversy and sticking
with the one that has a 62.9 rating. Denver could be caught
looking ahead, but their next game in Oakland is no longer
quite the matchup it has been anyway.

Chicago Notes

The Bears fall to 3-7 in the NFC North with their close loss
to the Rams.

Quarterbacks::Chris Chandler was given the full support of his HC
Dick Jauron which is an indication of something when Jauron
felt it was necessary to even do. Chandler comes off a 153
yard, one touchdown effort against the Rams and has a QB rating
of only 62.9, better than only three other quarterbacks. While
fans and even some teammates call for Rex Grossman
to get a shot, Chandler remains the starter.

Running Backs: Anthony Thomas
gained 71 yards on 17 carries in the first half but only had
eight runs the rest of the game. He ended with 92 yards and
scored once. Since the A-Train got his groove back on this
season, he typically gets all but one or two carries in a
game.

Receivers:Chandler's
pedestrian passing numbers are preventing the wideouts from
making a difference. Marty Booker had five catches
for 60 yards last Sunday but has not scored since week five.
Dez White caught his second score of the season and
David Terrell remains awful.

Desmond Clark had his second consecutive four catch
day, with 44 yards this week and 39 yards previously when
he scored.

The wideouts remain a relative non-factor in this offense.

Match against the Defense: This
game has the chance to get not pretty earlier than later.

Anthony Thomas goes to Denver where no rusher has exceeded
100 yards and in most games, they top out at around 50 yards.
If Denver gets an early lead which is likely, Thomas may not
get that.

The Denver secondary can be beaten and four times it has
yielded multiple passing scores but Chandler and crew have
not given an indication that he will be able to join the club.
Just because the Bears will have to pass to stay in the game
does not mean that they will do it particularly well. With
Denver scratching for a wildcard, the Bears will not be overlooked.

Denver Notes

The Broncos rise to 6-4 and are now three games back in the
AFC West with the Chiefs loss.

Quarterbacks::Jake Plummer was sore after the game last week, but
his three touchdowns were more than the Broncos had in the
previous four games without him combined. It was only San
Diego visiting, but then again this week it will only be the
Bears visiting. Last week was a monumental drubbing of the
Chargers.

Running Backs:Last week
Clinton Portis ran so well - 25 carries for 106 yards
- that they gave him almost the entire second half off to
watch Quentin Griffin gain 55 yards on 15 carries.
It was good for Denver to see their backup get some gametime
experience, but less so if you were actually starting Portis
on your fantasy team last week.

Receivers: With Plummer
back, Rod Smith had ten catches for 84 yards and while
Ashley Lelie only ended with two catches for 57 yards,
Plummer was trying to hit him early when it still mattered.
Both receivers ended up taking a back seat to Shannon Sharpe
who turned seven catches into 101 yards and three touchdowns.

The offense clicks dramatically better with Plummer back
and the wideouts are a big beneficiary.

Match against the Defense:
The Bears on the road have yet to win and their inability
to stop the run is a big reason why they are 0-5. Clinton
Portis should enjoy a good game here but likely not a monster
one as Plummer continues to shake off any rust.

Plummer faces a secondary that has yielded two scores on
the road three times this season and only Brooks failed to
go over 200 yards. Chicago has been good against wideouts
up until last week when Holt had 122 yards but where they
have been hurt is against tight ends as they have allowed
six touchdowns from the position this season. And we are not
talking Gonzo, Heap or Shockey. They gave up touchdowns to
Franks, Kleinsasser, Conwell, Ricks and Manumaleuna.

Shannon Sharpe is a big thumbs up here again.

Team Comparisons - Current team
rankings (1-32) for FF points scored or allowed
by position